Chapter Twelve Oddballs
Julianna
We made it to the study almost on time. We had to rush all the way. We couldn’t help it, the shower took a bit longer than we thought it would. It couldn’t be helped. I kept dropping the soap. I beamed to myself at the joke. A girl could get used to this kind of life. Romeo taking me to heaven everyday. Me being pampered by him every night.
I know I should be concerned about what others might think. I did feel like that before. Actually just yesterday in fact. Worried my peers would think I was sleeping my way along. Or that they would whisper ‘ slut’ behind my back. I couldn’t believe that I ever cared about that. I’d been winning cases and proving myself for several years now. This was my life. I was the one who chose what was for me. And dammit, Romeo had been made for me. Actually created in heaven, I felt.
So now? I could freakin’ care less what anyone thought about it. This was the defining relationship of my lifetime. Romeo made the day worth it. He undid me and turned me inside out, so to speak. I’d meant what I told him. I was definitely addicted to whatever he was selling. I giggled under my breath.
Looking down at me, Romeo raised a brow as if in question.
I snorted a laugh. “Just thinking about ‘dropping the soap’.”
He smirked as he squeezed my hand. “I’m not sure how many times you can do that and still count it as an accident.”
Still laughing, we both stopped at the study door.
Max stood there stiff and tall, in his usual butler outfit. A black dress suit with a waistcoat-vest and underneath was a crisp white shirt. A black bow tie properly tied, not a clip-on. Black shoes, polished and neatly laced. Hair combed back, his complexion clear and unwrinkled just like his suit.
“Hello Max,” I greeted him with a little wave, hoping to get a smile. “Where’s the long tailcoat and white gloves? I really liked those.”
He stared at me as he gave me a stiff nod. “That is evening wear, Ms. Regatta. I am wearing morning attire.” He turned and said, “Mr. Romeo.”
“How’s it going, Max?” Romeo asked him.
“All is well. However, you are almost late.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Romeo replied. “You mean that my father will be acting up in another minute or two, right?”
Max gave another stiff nod. “He doesn’t like tardiness, sir.”
“Max, how many times do I have to ask you?” Romeo told him.
“Using sir is almost second nature to me…Sir.”
I laughed. “You just cannot be for real, Max.”
He looked upward and sniffed. “We are who we are, Ms. Regatta.”
“That’s true,” I agreed. “However, someday, I would like to see you smile.”
The butler just stared at me.
“I don’t want to burst your bubble, Julie,” Romeo said as he rolled his eyes. “But I have to warn you that he won’t smile or laugh. It just won’t happen. Ever since we were kids, we have tried to get to him to show some kind of emotion. Many spectacles have been produced by the Descalia boys in that endeavour. Lots of pranks and jokes have been pulled. All, to no avail. I have never heard Max laugh, not once. I have never seen him smile either. And believe me, Zia and my father's debates would crack anybody up. But not Max.” He chuckled. “We finally realized that he is just like those British King Guards that stand in front of Buckingham Palace.”
I looked over at Max and asked, “So, you’re like Spock? Sort of a Brit version of him?”
“That depends on which Spock you are referring to,” Max replied.
I felt a bit excited that he was willing to discuss this with me at all. “Star Trek Spock of course. You know because he couldn’t show any emotion?”
“That is a fictional character,” Max replied.
“Ok, Max,” Romeo interjected. “So, you must mean Dr. Spock then, correct?”
“Not really, sir. However, Dr. Spock was at least a real person.”
I laughed. “Ok, but to many of us Spock was pretty real.”
Max simply stared at me.
“Ok, Max,” Romeo said with a laugh. “Have a good afternoon.”
Silent of course, Max opened the double doors for us then stepped back as we went through and past him. He then closed the doors behind us.
Romeo pulled me close, wrapped both hands around my face and said, “On top of being funny, smart, a lawyer and sexy…You’re a trekkie too?”
I grinned at him. “It’s a nerdy thing I know, but yes.”
“Just wow,” he whispered to my lips.
“I have been and shall always be…your friend,” I repeated Spocks’s last words to his Captain.
“You are the whole package,” Romeo whispered in awe, then he leaned in close and kissed me. The kiss went passionate immediately. We sparked all over again. Finally, he dropped his hands and took a step back.
I stared at him and replied, “Yeah…wow.”
We both seemed to be in a daze as we stared at each other.
“Are you finished?” Stephano asked this question.
We looked over at him.
I gasped as it looked like everyone was present and they all had been staring at us. Then I spotted someone new as well.
“Yes Papa, we are done,” Romeo replied casually as he took my hand and led me further into the room.
I know my cheeks had gone pink. I didn’t regret being with Romeo, but I sure as hell never planned for it to be this public.
A table had been set up in the room, in front of a large couch and some side chairs. On that table were a few monitors. Sitting at the table in front of the whole set up was a man who kept typing on his keyboard.
Romeo and I went over then sat down next to Redemption and Liv.
With a snicker, Dante waved at us from one of the chairs.
Standing behind him, Talon was busy looking at his cell screen.
My father stepped up next to him and asked, “So can you give me an update?”
“I’ve got the best men we have to stake the place out,” Talon explained. “Now we wait for information. When we get eyes on the place, they will tell us what they see. Like how many snipers are around in those areas where we spotted them. And we need to know what looks like the best place to approach as it may not be wise to take the front street. We need to discern what the weaknesses are and what we will be up against. We have to look for any unknown vehicles parked along the cemetery road. Anyone hiding inside the cemetery and so on. If there are traps, or extra guards around that particular crypt. The road in and out, the gate entrance and the back side of the property. The whole dynamic, so we can have the best chance.”
“At what?” Dante asked.
“Getting my dad out of there alive,” Redemption replied. Looking over at Talon, he asked, “Maybe they can ascertain where exactly this crypt is. So we can try to rescue my dad before the exchange.”
“I got that already,” the man at the table spoke up.
We all looked over at him.
Redemption motioned to the man and introduced him to us, “This is Logan. We call him Ace. And he is how we will find out almost everything we need to know.”
“Without him and his tech, I wouldn’t be sitting here,” Glory said as she looked around at the group. “The best description of him would be…”
“...our Ace in the hole,” Glory, Legend, Liv, Redemption, and Talon all stated at once.
Logan shook his head.
Talon snorted. “As a soldier I served with, I can truthfully state that Logan saved many lives, including my own. His specialty was to help rescue prisoners. He was awarded the Medal of Valor and a Bronze Star.”
“Wow,” I replied.
Logan ignored the praise and said, “This is my thermal program.” He motioned at the large screen.
Romeo stood and moved over toward the table.
Logan pointed to one square at the bottom. “There's one signature here at the building across the street. Sniper, I assume. There’s two outside the Neversmile crypt. Then near the front gates, I see two more guards.” He pointed to a screen box at the top. “These signatures are outside on that street patrolling, you can see them move. I feel that they are also possible snipers.”
Redemption pointed at the screen. “I see another signature here.” He kept his eyes glued to where the crypt was supposed to be. “What does that mean?”
Romeo nodded as he shivered. “Well, it can’t be a ghost like Neversmile himself, so…”
Glory rushed over and exclaimed, “You mean that is where they have my dad right now?” she almost yelled.
Logan shrugged. “Maybe? These two men are just outside of the crypt.” He pointed at the two green looking forms. “They’re guarding it.”
Stunned, I had to ask, “Wow, you mean, they have him locked in the crypt?”
“I never said that,” Logan replied.
“Then what are you saying?” Legend asked.
“It could be a trap,” Talon commented.
“Like they are lying in wait?” Romeo surmised.
“Exactly,” Stephano finally spoke up. “Perhaps Jarret is not even there. They planned to grab Deacon and kill us. All, while keeping Jarret.”
“So, we were going to do the bait and switch,” Dante said. “While they were just gonna bait?”
“Santo Cielo,” I swore. Holy crap . “They never planned to even bring Jarret?”
“We don’t know,” Logan replied.
“But I know that Logan has an idea on how to find out,” Talon said.
We all looked over at him then at Logan.
He nodded his head. “I have a line out in the water.”
“Yes, I knew it,” Liv said as she had come over to stand beside Logan. “What is it, babe?” she asked him.
“It’s here on this laptop.” Logan turned it toward us.
We all looked at the smaller screen. It looked odd with zooming streets moving rapidly like Google Earth.
I stepped closer to stare at it and asked Logan, “What is it?”
“It’s satellite feed. I followed a signature that had definitely been with the crew at the crypt. This person left the Meatrie earlier today.”
I sucked in a breath at this shocker.
“Oh, my God,” Glory said. “You mean you found where V is hiding?” she asked Logan.
“Almost,” Logan replied. “My program is solely focused on this person. The signature is still moving but when it stops…” He raised his head to look at Talon. “That is where you will need to look.” He now peered at the screen again as he tapped a few keys. “In fact, this is where the vehicle stopped.” He tapped in an address then A huge white building, old stone and a high chapel came over the screen.
“Wait, this looks familiar,” I said as I stared at it.
“Well shit,” Romeo spoke up as he too stared at the sat feed. “It’s the Ursuline Convent on Chartres Street.”
“No way!” I scoffed. “The same place where... wow.” I shook my head.
Nodding, Romeo looked a little excited as he said, “The Casket Girls.”
“The what?” Legend asked.
“How in the…” Dante’s voice fell away.
“The convent is not open anymore,” Logan explained. “I looked it up and the property was bought three months ago.”
“Wait, can we go back to this casket thing?” Dante said.
“Man.” Romeo tisked. “You have lived here all of your life, Dante. And you don’t know about this? Like there was a book and a movie about it.”
Dante shrugged. “Living here doesn’t mean I know every detail about NO’s history.” He motioned to me then back to Romeo. “I’m not oddballs like you two are.”
“Oddballs?” I asked with a laugh.
Liv glanced over at me and asked, “What are you talking about?”
I shrugged. “It's another strange place in New Orleans. One of the oldest convents in America. The legend says that a group of girls were sent here from France by some rich parents to find suitable men to marry. But some of the girls could not find husbands and they fell under the care and protection of the Ursuline nuns of New Orleans. These nuns were cruel and heartless, so it was said. Then as time went by…none of the young women were left. The nuns claimed to have settled them within marriages. But in reality, the girls were all dead in caskets in the basement of the church.”
Romeo shook his head and took up the story, “They weren’t rich girls at all, but they did come here to find husbands. The name comes from the fact that they traveled with à la cassette … or in English suitcases to the French colonies in America. They arrived in the New World with a trunk, or cassette, containing their belongings. This name was mistaken as caskets in translation. So they were dubbed The Casket Girls. They did, however, take shelter at the convent. But I do have to say that Julie is right, they ended up in caskets at the Ursuline Convent.”
Stephano shook his head. “While interesting. And no insult to Ms. Regatta or Romeo, none of that pertains to our situation. But this location is a testament that this V is eccentric like her brother Deacon,” he reasoned. “Neversmile, then now The Casket Girls?”
“Eccentric?” Glory asked him. “Is that your word for schizoid?”
Dante laughed and added, “My choices would be crackers, bonkers or gaga.”
“So how do we find out who’s really in that crypt?” Redemption asked.
Shrugging, Logan replied, “Haven’t figured that out yet. Opening it would be the only way. But it would be a great spot to hide and ambush someone. That’s for sure.”
“So, we don’t know if Jarret is there or if he’s at this convent?” I asked.
“We don’t,” Logan said. “And the signature that left the Meatrie earlier seems to still be sitting in the vehicle at the convent.”
“So what do we do now?” Legend asked no one in particular or everyone present maybe.
“You need two teams now,” I said. “One for the crypt with the original switch plan. Then at the same time, a second team invades the convent.” I looked around at them all. “And yes, head down to that basement. I bet odds that she is down there.” I paused a minute to wonder if this V could be caught and if so, I had to hope she wouldn’t be hurt. I needed to talk to her. Then another thought struck me. “I believe there is another way into that church besides the doors.”
Logan looked over at me. “A secret entrance?”
I nodded. “Only oddball history buffs would know about it.” I glanced over at Dante and gave him a smirk.
He shook his head as he smiled.
Talon looked over at Stephano.
He raised his hands and nodded. “She is our advisor, so I trust what she says.”
With his trusting words, I felt conflicted. I shouldn’t even be here, let alone be their advisor. I had a personal investment in this that they were unaware of. I didn’t like it that I kept this from them. I needed to tell them about it, but I didn’t know where to start. Besides, this V may not be the person I hoped for her to be. It could all be conjecture. I never had any proof that Deacon or Ophelia had anything to do with what happened to my family all those years ago.
“Exactly the plan I had in mind,” Talon agreed. “Only minus the secret door.”
“Well, it’s not a door really,” I said.
They all looked over at me.
I shrugged and admitted it, “It’s a tunnel.”
“The Ursuline is encircled by an ominous fence that we could be seen traversing perhaps,” Logan explained as he scrolled his mouse and the image zoomed down and in. “So a tunnel would be very handy.”
“A tunnel?” Redemption asked. “This is New Orleans, so some of those are gone since Katrina hit.”
“It is still traversable. They had tours through it last year.”
“Don’t tell me, you were there?” Romeo asked with a smirk.
“I was,” I replied.
Talon stared at me. “So how do we find this tunnel?”
“If your tech guy can zoom over to the north a bit I can show him, I think?”
Logan did so.
I stepped closer and pointed at the spot. “Right here at the Ursuline Mausoleum.”
“Another cemetery?” Dante asked as he grimaced.
“Yeah, another one,” I replied. “This is New Orleans we’re talking about.” I grabbed my cell from my pocket and typed into it, then read the answer aloud, “There are 45 cemeteries in New Orleans—31 are considered historic, and 5 are officially listed in the National Register of Historic Places.”
“Yes, like I said before,” Romeo quipped. “Where have you been all your life, Dante?”
I shook my head as I said to Talon, “The tunnel goes for about a half a block to the convent.”
“We will have to send someone over there to check this out,” Talon said as he tapped on his cell screen.
“It is at the base of the back wall,” I explained. “There is an actual grave marker on the ground over it.”
Nodding, Talon typed my directions in.
“But at the Metairie,” Logan spoke up again. “The crypt is more out in the open. It is a heavily populated place, so there doesn’t seem to be many places to hide around it.”
“Populated?” Dante asked.
“In a manner of speaking.” Logan nodded. “This is their eternal resting place.”
Romeo agreed as he grinned at Dante. “Therefore, there are many bodies there.”
Dante shuddered. “Yet another reason I have never been there.”
“Let us hope that the spirits of New Orleans are on our side then,” Stephano stated.
I shivered a bit too. Ghosts helping our team? I loved the paranormal but not so much that this thought didn’t spook me.
Logan zoomed the screen even closer to the convent. “Ok, the signature is arriving,” he announced.
It showed the person's vehicle Logan had been following.
Talon moved in with his large frame as Romeo and I had to step over. The man was tall and large. Not something you could see through for sure. I would accuse him of being rude, but his type didn't mean it that way. I’d met cops who were just like this. He focused on something and all else ceased to matter.
Redemption and Liv moved in as well.
The screen seemed to zoom in even closer as I was peeking in over Liv’s shoulder. Yes, it was a woman getting out of a vehicle! This could tell me what I needed to know. I held my breath. Could this be the moment when I found out the truth? When everyone here found it out too? We all waited for the woman to turn so we could see her face, but it didn’t happen. She went inside. I looked over at Romeo. My hands were shaking and I didn’t think I hid my fearful expression in time.
Looking concerned, Romeo stepped close to me and asked, “Are you okay?”